Uploaded April 2020 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Historian Anthony Comegna presents five brief biographies of people he considers forgotten libertarian heroes: Stephen Hopkins, Benjamin Lay, Moses Jakes, Ann Parlin, and Frances Whipple. Dr. Comegna argues that recovering their history is important. Since its ancient invention, the writing of history has been a tool for the powerful, and has mostly focused on those in power. But in recent decades, historians have made tremendous strides recovering the stories of marginalized, powerless people and the contributions they made—telling history “from below” rather than from above. Dr. Comegna argues that libertarian history can also be revolutionized in this way, and only by telling the history from below can people appreciate the real impact that libertarians have exercised in world history.
Anthony Comegna received his Ph.D. in history from the University of Pittsburgh, where he specialized in early American, intellectual, and Atlantic history. His dissertation, "The Dupes of Hope Forever? The Loco-Foco or Equal Rights Movement, 1820s-1870s,” revives the submerged and forgotten legacy of locofocoism. Anthony has taught undergraduate courses in American history and Western Civilization. He is currently a Programs Manager at the Institute for Humane Studies.
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Historian Anthony Comegna presents five brief biographies of people he considers forgotten libertarian heroes: Stephen Hopkins, Benjamin Lay, Moses Jakes, Ann Parlin, and Frances Whipple. Dr. Comegna argues that recovering their history is important. Since its ancient invention, the writing of history has been a tool for the powerful, and has mostly focused on those in power. But in recent decades, historians have made tremendous strides recovering the stories of marginalized, powerless people and the contributions they made—telling history “from below” rather than from above. Dr. Comegna argues that libertarian history can also be revolutionized in this way, and only by telling the history from below can people appreciate the real impact that libertarians have exercised in world history.
Anthony Comegna received his Ph.D. in history from the University of Pittsburgh, where he specialized in early American, intellectual, and Atlantic history. His dissertation, "The Dupes of Hope Forever? The Loco-Foco or Equal Rights Movement, 1820s-1870s,” revives the submerged and forgotten legacy of locofocoism. Anthony has taught undergraduate courses in American history and Western Civilization. He is currently a Programs Manager at the Institute for Humane Studies.
Subscribe to our channel to see upcoming videos: youtube.com/c/TheIHSorg?sub_confirmation=1
The Institute for Humane Studies supports and partners with professors to promote the teaching and research of classical liberal ideas and to advance higher education’s core purpose of intellectual discovery and human progress. About Us: theihs.org/who-we-are
Twitter: twitter.com/theihs?lang=en
Facebook: facebook.com/InstituteforHumaneStudies
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/instituteforhumanestudies
Instagram: instagram.com/theihs
